theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer

Hi beauties,

So a while back I did a post on theBalm's Christmas in 2012, which contained three beautiful products. Well here I am today, to share with you my thoughts on theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer. Just before I get straight into the review, I just want to say that theBalm have the best packaging I have seen. All their products are super adorable. I love it.

This product is an all-in-one bronzer, shimmer and eyeshadow. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of all-in-one products, but I do think this concept is great for this product because it is the perfect shade for it. Ok, the product is super cute. It has a 'Wanted' theme to it with a 'mug shot' of Betty-Lou on it. I just think it is so adorable. The bronzer has a lot of product in it (8.5g) which is always a big plus. The product has a really nice texture. It is so smooth and glides on the skin! I think that the bronzer is pigmented and it has such a pretty shimmer to it.

The shade 'Betty-Lou' is a warm-toned bronze colour. I thoroughly enjoy this product because it has so much variety. You can use it for a lovely, bronze eye or to give a nice shimmer and glow to the face. The colour is so nice which can be used on most skin tones. I just really love this product! It is so perfect yet adorable.

December Favourite! John Frieda 3-Day Straight

Hi everyone,
First off, I hope everyone have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I wish you all the best for 2013!

During December, I have been using a product a lot. And I am absolutely loving it. This product is the John Frieda Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight Styling Spray. This is a semi-permanent styling spray which creates visibly straighter hair for up to three days and also blocks out frizz with keratin protein. How does that sound? Fantastic, to me! The packaging of this product is really cute and unique as it resembles a spray bottle. This dispenser is superb and has a lock system which is super handy. The formula is revolutionary as it is heat-activated with keratin protein which wraps each strand to seal in longer lasting straightness. The formula is weightless and does not weigh the hair down at all. What I really like about this product is that it also protects your hair from heat damage and blocks frizz.

So how do you use this spray? Well, you spray the product between seven to fourteen times on wet or damp hair and comb it through. You then blow dry your hair and straighten your hair in sections afterwards. It is just that easy! I do when I get out of the shower and it doesn't take a long time. Afterwards, minimal heat touch up is required.

The results? My hair did stay straight for three days and it looked great. I didn't look frizzy at all and in fact looked very healthy and glossy. I absolutely love this product because it your straighten your hair regularly, you only have to do it every three days. And it doesn't damage your hair at all - it does the total opposite. I really recommend everyone to go out and buy this product because it is just so amazing!
RRP $16.99 from Priceline, Target, Coles, Woolworths and selected pharmacies.

What's New from Australis! Review

Hi all,
So there are a couple of new products from Australis. I really wanted to share them with you because they are so great! Both of these products are nail polishes.
The first product is the Australis Nail Glitter Top Coat in Eureka. I think that the name of this shade is just so cute because it is gold in colour. This is a specialty top coat with glitter flake. The packaging is really appealing and the polish is quite big. It is a clear top coat with different sizes of gold specs throughout it. I really like how it has different sizes because it adds more variety. The brush is nice and big, making it much easier to apply the product. What I really love is that when you apply the top coat the flakes spread out evenly and don't bunch up. The top coat looks nice on over basically any colour of nail polish. It adds extra sparkle and is just a really nice look. I love it!

The other new product is the Australis Crackle Colour in Duck Duck Goose. How cute is the name of the shade?! This polish creates crackle effects when on top of nail polish. This is so cool as you can see the base colour through the cracks. The packaging of the product is the same as the first polish and is simple and attractive. You also get a lot of polish. The nail polish shatters very quickly and the texture and look of it is superb! The large brush makes it super easy to apply the polish on the nail. Duck Duck Goose is a very, very, very light blue. It looks good under any bright and dark colours. Many crackle nail polishes don't work at all or don't look good. But this product works so well and looks good. But this product works so well and looks good. You can really see the crackle effect. It's great.

The best Christmas gift set ever! theBalm

Hi all,
If you are a last-minute type of person, keep reading! Christmas is three days away and I have the perfect gift that anyone would love to receive! It is theBalm Bold & Bronze Cosmetic Kit. This is one variation of the gift set; there is also the Bright & Pretty Cosmetic Kit.

This is perfect for any girl because it contains the perfect trio of products, which come in a super-cute cosmetic bag. This bag is so handy and great for travel. It even has a spot to hold your brushes.

The first product is the Betty-Lou Manizer. This is an multi-use powder which you can use as a bronzer, eyeshadow or luminizer. I love the packaging of this.

The next product is the Tall, Dark and Handsome Mascara. This is a great mascara which leaves your lashes looking long and voluminous. I love this!

The last product is Cocoa My Coconut Plump Your Pucker Lip Gloss. The gloss is a great size and is gorgeous in colour. The shade is just so pretty. Also, it has a yummy chocolate scent!

This set is great value. It retails for $49.95 but is valued at $81.85. It is so ideal for a woman who you want to spend a bit more on. They are bound to love it. You can purchase this from David Jones. You better get your hands this gift set because it is FANTASTIC!

I will be doing review on each product individually.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturiser for Combination Skin

Hi all,
Christmas is in 5 days! OMG! This is so exciting. I absolutely love the holiday season. Anyway, I have another great skincare product to share with you.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturiser for Combination Skin is absolutely perfect for people like me - dry in some areas, but mostly oily! I feel like it is more than a moisturiser because it does so much more than a regular moisturising lotion. It moisturises dry areas but also controls shine in oily areas. How smart is that?! The packaging is really simple but looks attractive. Also the product comes with a handy, little dispenser which you can lock into place so it doesn't release any more product. The formula is really lightweight but only non-greasy. This is really nice. I also like that this moisturiser is designed to normalise combination skin. It has a patented oil-absorbing Microsponge system which controls oil and shine in the T-zone or wherever your skin is oily. The moisturiser gives you a natural, matte finish throughout the day and also makes your skin feel and look softer.

This product is superb! I definitely noticed less oil and shine on my skin and dry ares felt hydrated. Also my skin felt definitely more soft and smooth. I loved it and will be a product that I will continue to use.
The product retails for $13.99 from leading supermarkets, variety stores and pharmacies nationally.

Last-minute Christmas Nail Art

Hi beauties,
Christmas is so close now and I know that Christmas nails, for me, add extra holiday cheer. Here are some nail tutorials for your last-minute Christmas nails!

1. Very Easy Santa Hat Nails
This is great if your not the best nail artist. It looks so effective and cute!

2. Sparkly Christmas Glitter Nails
This is for you if you are looking for a super pretty and elegant look.

3. Santa and Elf Suit Nails
These are super cute yet super easy!

Also you can achieve very gorgeous nails with OPI's Pure Lacquer Nails Apps. They are pre-cut nail strips made from pure nail lacquer. These four designs are ideal for the festive season;

Floating Dragon

Nice Tux

Positively Shocking

 

Shaken Not Stirred

The prettiest Summer hair accessory

Hey,
On the weekend I went shopping an picked up the most gorgeous and unique hair accessory. It is a beautiful headband. I purchased it from Summerblossom which is a cute, little shop. You can purchase their items online or at markets that they participate in. The products are all handmade.

http://www.summerblossom.com.au/

The accessory I bought was this headband.

How cute?!

 

The care instructions

 

It wraps around the head but you can be creative and do whatever you want with it.



I love this!

The product is really summery and comes in a variety of designs. I chose the white silk flower because it is so versatile and matches many outfits.
You should definitely check out Summerblossom. They have so many lovely hair accessories to choose from!

Clean & Clear Deep Action In-Shower Facial

Hi all,
Clean & Clear is a great skincare brand that delivers all the best results. A lot of people associate Clean & Clear with teenagers and think that it is only for that age range. But Clean & Clear is great for all ages!
The product I want to show you today is so innovative; there is not another product like this on the market. It is the Clean & Clear Deep Action In-Shower Facial. A lot of people are really busy and don't have the time to use extra products. If I want to use a scrub, I only use it in the shower because I don't have time otherwise. The packaging is bright and appealing and has a nice dispenser. With the product, you apply it on like a face mask but instead of rinsing it off after waiting, you gently exfoliate your skin and then rinse it off. It's like a facial and scrub in one! Awesome! The facial benefits your skin in three ways;

1. It detoxifies - The product has a deep purifying formula which works with the steam of your shower to deeply cleanse the pores. The formula contains natural fruit acids which is nice.
2. It smoothes - The exfoliating beads in the product take away dead surface skin.
3. It softens - The formula contains natural skin conditioners to make the skin soft and smooth.

The consistency of it is really unique. In-Shower Facial is creamy and thick but you also know that it is going to be super exfoliating. I really enjoyed this product because it is a super convenient alternative to a facial. The product definitely made my skin healthier, smoother and softer and was really exfoliating.
This product retails for $10.79 from leading supermarkets, variety stores and pharmacies nationally.

Storage for small make-up collections

Hi all,
Not everyone has a large make-up collection. You may be just starting out or have a small collection that you use all the time. I have a post for you guys today which gives you a great suggestion on how to store your make-up.
My sister has a small collection. She was going through her jewellery when I came up with the idea to use the jewellery box as make-up storage.

Before!

 

  Take a look!

First compartment

Second and third drawers

After!

The whole thing!

First compartment - Brushes and face products

Second drawer - Eye products

 

Third drawer - Lip products

This is super easy to do and looks great at the end!

Lush Christmas! The Melting Snowman

Hi all,

So Christmas is practically around the corner. And I'm so excited!
Lush has the most exciting Christmas products ever! One of these is The Melting Snowman. The Melting Snowman is one of their luxury bath melts. And trust me, this is luxurious. The packaging of this products is super cute! It literally looks like a melting snowman. To be honest, I didn't like the smell of the actually product. HOWEVER, when I put it in the bath, it smelt DIVINE. I loved it. The melt contains a blend of oils including vanilla absolute and sweet wild orange. The gives the product its deep marzipan fragrance with notes of rich fruit. It reminds me of Christmas cakes and cookies. Yummo! And it smells exactly like Snowcake soap. If you love that soap, then you have to get your hands on this melt! The formula is made of water-softening bicarbonate of soda, cocoa butter and shea butter. The chocolate was so tempting to eat! The heat gets to the product and melts away. After that, the melt releases those brilliant butter through the water. My skin was so moisturised and still felt hydrated and soft afterwards. I absolutely loved this. Also the scent lingered on my skin afterwards. This was the first bath melt I have tried and it was so superb. Way to go, Lush!

Lush Christmas Party Popper

Hi beauties,
Christmas is certainly my favourite time of the year and I love spending it with my family and, of course, Lush! I know I have said this before, but I love Lush's Christmas products the most. I think I get so excited and basically buy the whole Christmas range! (Also I'm super excited to buy the Fun product).

I have already gone to Lush already but have also gotten the chance to pop Party Popper into my bath. And it was great! Party Popper is a festive bath ballistic, inspired by celebratory party poppers! The product looks like one too; it is pink on the bottom and blue up the top. When you put the ballistic in the bath, it is great! The products zooms around the bath and crackles. Yes, it contains the crackling candy. I love how Lush includes this little quirk as it adds the effect of the party popper cracking. How fantastic?! Also you find green confetti in the tub which actually is soap paper. This paper is made from fresh honeydew melon and soap flakes. I used them afterwards and it nourished and clarified my skin. I thoroughly enjoyed the soap paper. There were trails of blue and pink in my tub and eventually my whole bath turned pink. I loved it!
The fragrance of the ballistic smelt like I stepped into a Lush store. The scent was really uplifting and is a blend of bergamot and tangerine oils and healing rose oil. The product release a 'dry champagne' perfume and smells quite nice.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed using the Party Popper Bath Ballistic from Lush. It really lifted my mood and the scent lingered on my skin for a while. Also, the bath looked great!
RRP $5.95